George I of Great Britain

George I, born George Louis (German: Georg Ludwig), ascended to the British throne as King of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 August 1714, following the death of Queen Anne. He simultaneously served as the ruler of the Electorate of Hanover within the Holy Roman Empire from 23 January 1698 until his death. As the first British monarch from the House of Hanover, he witnessed the transition of power towards modern cabinet government led by a prime minister. George I’s reign saw the rise of Robert Walpole, considered Britain’s first de facto prime minister. He was born in Hanover and was the eldest son of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and Sophia of the Palatinate. George I married his cousin Sophia Dorothea of Celle and fathered two children with her, and three daughters with his mistress Melusine von der Schulenburg. His marriage to Sophia Dorothea ended in divorce in 1694. George I’s military involvement included participation in the Franco-Dutch War and the Great Turkish War, notably at the Battle of Vienna. He died of a stroke while visiting Hanover and was buried there, the most recent British monarch to be interred outside the United Kingdom.